The Plan
by Emily Hoyt
Summary: WARNING: Contains spoilers for episode 2x13: A Good Day to Die "Detective, I... I won't play into His hand like that. It goes against every fibre of my being," he said and she leaned back, her eyes narrowing in disgust and he felt his heart shatter. "Then, you are a coward," she whispered.


**AN: Contains spoilers for 2x13 - A Good Day to Die. Be warned!**

* * *

"Chloe, please... stay with me, love..."

Lucifer held her close, his hand stroking her cheek, wiping at the trail of crimson coming from her nose. She coughed and her lips and teeth were stained with blood. He rocked her back and forth, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Lu... Lucifer," she gasped, summoning her last reserves of energy to cup his cheek. "It's... it's okay," she whispered.

"I tried!" he moaned, tears seeping from the corners of his eyes. "It should have worked... he told me it would work!" Lucifer whimpered. "Why isn't it working?"

"Lucifer..." Her voice was low and weak and he tried to shush her, but she licked her lips and took a deep breath. "I... I love you..." she whispered. Smiling up at him, her eyes slowly slipped closed and her body slackened in his arms.

"Chloe?" he gasped, shaking her, his eyes wide with horror. "Chloe, no!" He rubbed at her arms for a second before he pulled her into his own, his grip on her tight. "No!" he cried, not caring that her blood was staining his shirt front. "Chloe, please!" he begged, tears streaming down his cheeks. His chest tightened. "Don't leave me... I... I love you, too..."

Lucifer bolted upright, disoriented and staring wildly at the empty bar around him. His chest heaved with each pull of air as he gasped, trying to catch his breath. He looked around and felt himself slowly calming down. Running his hand through his hair, he felt a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead and he frowned. He'd spent a lifetime in hell; he never sweat.

Shrugging out of his suit jacket, he turned and placed his bare feet on the tiled floor, appreciating the coolness against his skin. He rested his head on his knees and took long, deep breaths for a moment before pushing himself off the couch that he must have fallen asleep on. His feet brought him to the bar without conscious thought about where he was going and, almost by reflex, he poured himself a drink.

He'd slept so little since he saved her that he found himself falling asleep just about anywhere and at inopportune moments. He had sneaked into his bar perhaps an hour or two after closing, knowing Maze would be gone as well as all his guests. He rolled his sleeves up his arms and took his glass before making his way to sit on his piano stool.

It had been several months since he'd rescued Chloe, returning just in the nick of time with the antidote. And he'd managed to completely hide from her since, going off the map from everyone and everything that was his old life.

Walking away from the detective had truly broken his heart, but his mind swam every time he thought about staying with her now that he knew the truth. His Father had put her in his path on purpose. Lucifer felt used and abused. After all, he'd left hell only six or so years ago and the detective was well into her thirties. His Father had manipulated them both for his own gain and Lucifer was fed up.

It was in that moment that Lucifer knew he had to keep his distance. From this point on, she'd get gradually stronger and stronger and, at some point, she'd corner him and demand answers. She had, after all, witnessed the professor slice his own throat and she was no fool. She'd eventually require a real answer about where and how he obtained the location of the antidote for the poison she'd been infected with.

He wasn't sure what kind of answer he could offer that wouldn't have his detective running for the hills. His chest tightened. _His_ detective... He really did like the sound of that, but he sighed and took another drink from his glass, knowing now that it was impossible. With a groan, he lifted the cover on the keys of his baby grand and let his fingers brush from one end to the other without pressing any of them.

He thought for a moment, thinking of all the songs he knew – and he knew a lot, in a variety of genres – but his mind kept circling around one in particular. He groaned as he thought of it, never having been a huge fan of country music, but the words seemed so achingly appropriate that, without his permission, his fingers began to play the music, his shoulders tense despite how music usually calmed his raging soul.

 _Last night, I had a crazy dream_

 _A wish was granted just for me_

 _And it could be for anything_

 _I didn't ask for money_

 _Or a mansion in Malibu_

 _I simply wished_

 _For one more day with you_

 _One more day_

 _One more time_

 _One more sunset_

 _Maybe I'd be satisfied_

 _But then again, I know what it would do_

 _Leave me wishing still_

 _For one more day with you_

Lucifer's mind wandered to the sight from his dream, Chloe dead in his arms, and tears sprung to his cheeks once more. His fingers continued to move over the keys and he started to sing again, but his lungs burned as he did, his silent tears robbing him of oxygen he desperately needed.

 _First thing I'd do is wish for time to crawl_

 _I'd unplug the telephone and keep the TV off_

 _I'd hold you every second_

 _Say a million 'I love you's'_

 _That's what I'd do_

 _With one more day with you_

Tears shook his shoulders, although he made no noise and, after a while, the tremors halted his playing, his shoulders slumping forward. He clenched his jaw tight and tried to suppress his crying, but he found that a dam had collapsed within him and all the feelings he'd been fighting so hard to ignore came tumbling through his eyes and down his cheeks. He swiped at his face and reached out for another drink, but found the tumbler empty.

Fury and rage from the events of the previous weeks burned through him and he hurled the glass at the wall, feeling a little relief at the sound of it shattering and falling to the ground. He sighed, the tears slowing a little, and felt his chest burn with each pull of air. With a moan, he pushed himself up and away from the piano, still needing that drink, and made his way to the bar.

"You..." he gasped. Chloe was standing by the counter top, staring at him, her eyes wide. He held her gaze and wanted desperately to get that drink right about now, but he was frozen in place. She took a step towards him and he tensed, wondering if this was an addendum to his prior dream. His subconscious's way of torturing him a little more.

Then, her hand made contact with his cheek and his eyes widened in surprise. She was real! His subconscious wasn't _this_ good, to be able to simulate her touch, her scent, her heat... For a split second, he was about to relax into her touch when he suddenly remembered why he'd been avoiding her in the first place.

Lucifer twisted out of her grasp and ran to the counter, taking the bottle of strong drink and downing a large swallow straight from the flask. The heat of the drink burned down his chest and he took a deep breath, enjoying the punishing feel of it. Slowly, he turned back to find her standing only a foot or so behind him.

"Lucifer," she whispered and looked like she was about to reach out to him, but his flinch had her curling her arms around her own midsection instead of his. She shrugged and licked her lips and Lucifer had to use every ounce of self-control he had not to pull her into his arms. Her eyes flickered up to his. "How are you?" she asked carefully, smiling.

"Small talk?" he asked and stepped around her to make his way back over to his piano, sitting down. He knew he must look like a mess with his shirt cuffs pushed up, his stubble unruly and barefoot, but the look on her face made it perfectly clear that she was too tightly wound and too happy to finally see him to care about that.

"Well... I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what to say," she said, turning towards him, but not moving any closer. "I mean... you moved out and I haven't been able to reach you since you saved me." His spine straightened involuntarily at her mentioning his saving her; he knew where she was going. "And I..." but the words died in her throat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice growing quiet. "Did _I_ do something wrong? Maybe while I was drugged up?" she pushed and his jaw practically fell to the ground.

Lucifer forgot about her eventual question. He forgot about how his Father was using her for his own purposes. He forgot about everything in that moment except the need to comfort and reassure her. He rose quickly from his bench and reached out to her, pulling her into his arms, sighing as hers wrapped around his body and held on tight.

"You didn't do a thing, Chloe," he whispered against her hair. "You didn't do anything at all, I promise. I'm so glad you're alright," he murmured, his hand stroking the top of her hair, enjoying the feel of her warmth pressing into him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and rested his cheek on it, holding her tight in the silence of the club for a long time before either of them tried to move.

"Lucifer," she spoke into his chest and he lifted his head off of hers to allow her to look up at him. "I'm so... so grateful to you. I just... I can't imagine how you did it!" Her voice was full of curiosity and he felt himself tensing at her unasked question. Her head tilted to the side as she watched his expression change. "Lucifer?"

"I know you need answers, Chloe," he whispered, his hand cupping her face as his eyes filled with sorrow. "I know it's just your nature to want to understand what happened. And it's what makes you an amazing detective, but..." His eye twitched as he thought of his trip to hell. "I'm not sure you'll like the answers... I'm not sure you'll be able to _cope_ with the answers."

Chloe sighed and took him by the hands, walking slowly over to the couch. She sat down and tugged gently at him to sit just beside her. She leaned back and tucked her legs under her, resting her arm along the back, turned towards him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I returned to hell to track down the doctor's soul and forced him to tell me the recipe for the antidote."

Lucifer held Chloe's gaze as she stared at him, blinking every so often to let him know he hadn't completely lost her yet. She appeared to digest his answer, but she didn't seem to know how to proceed. She looked at him, her face devoid of any emotion, listening as impartially as she could.

"So, you mean this literally, right?" she asked, her voice low. Lucifer nodded. She sighed. "I... I just _can't_ bring myself to accept that you're really the Devil, Lucifer," she said softly. "It goes against everything I do and don't believe in, because accepting that you're the Devil means accepting God and angels and demons and heaven and hell... but... but I know you wouldn't yank my chain about something like this either. I just... I don't know what to believe anymore."

"I can prove it," he said, his voice so low she barely heard him. He saw her twitch towards him and he swallowed hard. "I actually _can_ prove that I'm the Devil. Do you remember when I told you that I'd scared off Dr. Linda after that whole sniper case?" he asked and Chloe nodded. "Well, she eventually snapped out of it, thanks to Maze, but... it was because I showed her the... _real me_ , as it were."

"The real you?" she asked and he nodded. "What do you mean?"

"I mean my true hellish appearance. You know, red skin, flames in my eyes... the whole she-bang." Chloe blinked.

"Red...?" Then, she sat up a little straighter, staring at him, her eyes wide with confusion. "You mean, I really saw that?" she asked and he stared at her, waiting to see if she'd elaborate so he could understand. "I... The player's club... the night I shot you!" she gasped. "When I found you, there was a mirror... and I saw... I thought I'd imagined it, but now... that was real?"

"What... what did you see?" he asked, his eyes narrowing and she put a hand to her mouth.

"I thought... I _did_... see your face, as you leaned over the girl, but... your reflection... for just a split second, you looked... you looked like... I don't know, like a burn victim!" she gasped, reaching out to rest her fingertips against his cheeks, staring into him. "And your eyes... they flashed! Like a match or a spark or something," she said, her face still twisted in confusion. Still, she was speaking and not babbling in horror, so he took it as a good sign and nodded his head gently.

"You saw correctly, Chloe," he said matter-of-factly, using her name to keep her calm and grounded. She shook her head a few times and he sat back and closed his eyes, waiting to feel her jump up from the couch and flee Lux as if – pardon the expression – the Devil himself was after her.

Instead, he felt her soft hands on his face and his eyes opened as she stared into it, as if looking to see what she'd seen before. He smiled and shook his head and her eyes narrowed.

"I control when it appears, Chloe. Unless I'm in a fit of pure rage where my emotions get away from me. But you won't see it unless I reveal it."

"So do it," she whispered and he stared at her is if she'd grown a second head.

"Darling, have you already gone mad without even seeing it? Haven't you been listening?" he demanded and stood up, moving away from the couch as he ran his fingers through his hair. "That's what happens at the crime scenes, detective!" he said. "The girl cowering away from me... the man who lept from the roof to get away... the charlatan preacher who became a believer _and_ a raving lunatic... it's because they saw the Devil in the flesh!" he exclaimed and turned to face her to see if he'd finally managed to drive his point home, only to find her sitting forward on the couch.

"I know what to expect, Lucifer," she said gently and reached her hand out to him. His fear and uncertainty ebbed away and he took her hand, letting her pull him back over and onto the couch. She took both his hands in hers and held them tight. "If not everything, can you show me... something? Anything?" she asked. "Can you, I don't know... just show me your eyes?" Lucifer stared at her for a long time before he nodded his head.

"If you insist, Chloe... you know I can't refuse you, but I do wish you'd reconsider!" he said desperately. "I don't know if I could stand to see you run out of here in terror... afraid of me," he added and watched the corner of her mouth lift in a half-smile.

"I might freak out, Lucifer... but I've never been afraid of you... and I don't think I ever could be."

Lucifer let out a little chuckle, hoping against hope that she was right. He let his eyes close and focused on dropping his glamour on his eyes alone. Sighing, he kept his head bent and opened them, staring down into his lap, his irises now flaming red surrounded by blackness. He tensed as he watched her hand enter his field of vision and waited to see what she'd do. Then, she wrapped her slim fingers around his chin and tilted his head up until he met her gaze, watching her eyes widen, not in fear, but in surprise.

"Wow..." she gasped. "It's... it's a little unnerving," she said and his brows drew together. "What?" she asked quickly, releasing his chin, afraid she might have hurt him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"You're still sane?" he asked gently, his eyes reverting to their normal dark brown. She smiled, shy, as she realized that she was, indeed, still coherent and aware.

"Yeah... I guess I am." She looked at him and her head tilted to one side. "Put them back... please?" Lucifer stared at her and a grin curved over his face.

"You are amazing, Chloe," he whispered and blinked them back to fire once more. She took his face in her hands and leaned in, looking at the crackling flames for a moment before chuckling and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, surprising him.

Then, Chloe sat back and resumed her position from earlier, her arm draped over the back, her head resting on her hand and her face had become pensive again. Lucifer knew she was thinking about many different things at once and didn't want to disturb her, so he stayed put, leaning back against the couch and waited patiently.

"Alright..." she said, sitting up straight. "So, it's all true. You really went back to hell to save me?" He nodded. "And when Malcolm shot you?" Another nod. "You really cut off your wings?" she gasped in surprise and he grinned, nodding silently once more. "Maze is actually a demon, forged in hell... of course she is..." He nodded, but it hadn't really been a question. "And that whole 'desires' superpower thing?" she asked and he shrugged.

"It's just my gift. I need to know your desires in order to know how to appropriately punish a person. Hit them where it hurts, as it were." Then, his eyes narrowed and he weighed the pros and cons of telling her, but he knew that he had to be completely honest with her. "But they don't work on you and I know why now." Chloe's eyes widened at that. "You're a gift from my Father," he said and her jaw dropped. "I know; it messed with my head something awful, but it's true. My mum showed me just before I... I found you at your home. I'd... come to confront you, but... well, evidently, I became a little preoccupied."

"I see," she whispered and looked around for a moment before returning her gaze to him. "So... what? Is it, like, a stork thing? Or..." Lucifer laughed.

"No... no, detective, Father sent Amenadiel to bless your parents since they were having troubles conceiving. It seems that Father knew _exactly_ what was going to happen... from my leaving hell to meeting you to... another one of His brilliant bloody plans that He didn't share with anyone!" he growled and Chloe felt a nervous chuckle sneak out.

"Are you really complaining?" she asked, looking at him through hooded eyes, their depths filled with doubt. "I mean... do you regret that we met?"

"Never!" he gasped immediately and she visibly sighed in relief, but he also let out a sigh and her gaze focused on him. "I just... I hate feeling like a bloody piece on a chess board! The cocky bastard knew what move I was going to make before I made it and... and, worst of all, He let me think that I actually had a chance of out-manoeuvring Him... of escaping Him!" She nodded in thought.

"I can appreciate that. I guess that's why you avoided me? You were... trying to fight against His plan for you?" she asked softly and he nodded. She fell silent once more, fiddling with the hem of her shirt for a couple of minutes, biting her lip. "So... I, uh... I still have _loads_ more questions... duh!" she said and smiled when she finally got a laugh out of him. "But, for right now, I only have one important question left to ask." Lucifer nodded. "Why were you playing _that_ song?"

Lucifer's eyes opened wide, not expecting that question in the least. He watched her shrink into the couch, trying to become as small as possible and confusion marred his face.

"How long were you standing there, Chloe?" he asked and watched her play with the hem some more, avoiding his gaze. "Chloe?"

"A couple lines in?" she said gently, her shoulders shrugging. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but... I guess you didn't hear the door latch when I arrived." Lucifer sat back and stared into his lap for a minute before letting his head roll back and drop with a thud to the couch back, his eyes closing. "Lucifer?"

"I had a nightmare." Lucifer felt her hand wrap around his and he looked back at her for a second, watching her eyes fill with compassion and he found the strength to revisit the dream. "I... I dreamt I was too late... that it didn't work in time..." He cast her a sideways glance and she had tears teetering on the rims of her lower lids. "I held you in my arms and I just kept apologizing that... that I hadn't been quick enough.

"And you were so weak. And you reached up and touched my cheek and you told me it was okay, but it wasn't okay and... and you whispered to me and... and I felt you slip away." Tears flooded his own cheeks as he told her, the feelings washing over him and breaking his heart all over again. "I just sat there, holding you... rocking you in my arms... hoping you'd come back to me, but..." He fell silent for a moment and cleared his throat.

"Then, I woke up and..." he chuckled softly. "And I actually came close to thanking Father!" he said and she let out a tiny laugh, but when he looked at her, she was crying herself. "Chloe, love," he whispered and reached out to cup her face with his warm hand.

"And that's why you played _One More Day_ ," she whispered and he nodded. She let a corner of her mouth tilt upwards. "Funny, if you think about it..." she said and he arched an eyebrow at her. "Well... that you should have a dream like that... the night I show up at your door."

"Every night."

Chloe looked at Lucifer closely and noticed the dark circles under his eyes for the first time since she arrived. Her gaze wandered down to his body and she saw the tension through his shoulders that shouldn't be there anymore since everything was out in the open. His messed hair, his pale skin... he looked exhausted.

"Every night?" she breathed. "The same thing?" Lucifer twitched and looked away a little. "Tell me," she whispered and he looked at her, his eyes swimming with tears once more.

"At first... I was just too late. I'd arrive and you were already gone," he said, clenching his jaw as he spoke. "Then... then, I'd arrive just as they lost you. Tonight, though..." he huffed, swallowing. "Tonight was the worst yet. Telling me it was alright... telling me that you..." he trailed off and shook his head, closing his eyes against the sight of her beside him, but that only allowed his mind to reply the sight of her dying in his arms.

"What did I say?" she whispered and he shook his head again, grinding his teeth as he looked into his lap. "Lucifer, tell me, please–"

"That you loved me," he breathed out and the room turned eerily quiet.

Lucifer kept his eyes squeezed shut, horrified that he'd actually said it aloud. He knew, after weeks of these terrifying dreams, that he loved her with all of his being, but he knew none of it was real or, if it was, on his terms. It was all a manipulation of his Father's and he wanted Chloe to have a choice. She couldn't get dragged into this mess between him and his Dad. He knew he shouldn't have said anything and let it go, but he never had been able to resist the woman at his side. His throat worked to gulp around a lump, his lungs burning for oxygen that wasn't coming.

"You idiot..."

Lucifer hadn't known what exactly to expect and, while part of him _did_ expect her to laugh in his face or tell him he was foolish to think she'd ever love him, he hadn't really expected her to truly say it. He nodded his head and kept his eyes downcast. She jumped up from the couch and paced in front of him.

"You're a real ass, you know! I mean... You sat there... playing a song about getting a second chance!" she shouted and his brows knit with confusion. This verbal lashing had gone sideways somewhere along the way and he wasn't quite following. "This song about how, if you had a second chance, you'd hold me more and tell me how much you love me!" she screeched and, when he heard the tears in her voice, his gaze swung up to look her at, her face awash with pain. "And what do you do? You hide away from me!" He stood up from the couch. "You coward!" she sobbed and his gaze narrowed.

"I am no such thing!"

"What else would you call it, then?!" she screamed. "What else would you call someone who's so afraid to accidentally do what his Father wants him to do that he turns away from his entire life? So afraid that maybe someone in his life might be there to do his Father's bidding that he decides to shut every single one of those people out? Lucifer, I didn't know! How could I be a messenger for Him? I told you I didn't even believe in this... stuff!"

"Because you don't deserve to be a pawn in His game, too!" he shouted and she stared at him in silence. His hands were balled into fists that hung by his side and anger twisted his face. "You deserve to be at least somewhat in control of your own life!" He groaned and fell back onto the couch, slumping into it like a dead weight. "I thought... I don't know what I thought, Chloe. I... I _hoped_ that maybe... just maybe, if _I_ left you alone... then He would, too."

"You..." she murmured and stared at his silent and defeated figure collapsed on the couch. She took a careful step forward and crouched down in front of him, kneeling with her hands on either side of his legs. "You did this for me?" she whispered and, without even looking up or opening his eyes, he nodded his head. He listened as her breath shook and didn't have to look at her to know she was crying. His eyes squeezed even tighter, refusing to see all that pain in her eyes. "What if I don't care?"

At that, his eyes popped open and widened with surprise as she sat back on her heels, her fingers twisting in her lap, her eyes fixed on them and not him. She reached up and tucked a strand behind her ear, blowing out a deep breath before she lifted her eyes back up to his.

"What if I'd rather be His pawn than not have you in my life?" she asked softly. "What if I don't care what... or who... brought you into my life? Mine and Trixie's? What if all I care about is that you make our lives better? And that, since you've left, I feel like part of me is missing?"

"Detective, I... I won't play into His hand like that. It goes against every fibre of my being," he said and she leaned back, her eyes narrowing in disgust and he felt his heart shatter.

"Then, you _are_ a coward," she whispered. His spine straightened and he leaned in a little bit closer to her.

"I am not a coward," he seethed, but she didn't back down even a little bit. She got back onto her knees and it brought her right up in his face, her nose only inches away from brushing against his, her eyes swirling with anger.

"Then, prove it," she challenged. "Tell me why you were singing the song. Tell me why a stupid dream of me dying had you so rattled! Tell me _why_ you're trying to protect me from Him!" she shouted, her chest heaving to as she raged. Slowly, the heaving turned from anger to sorrow and she fell back on her heels, looking up at him with tears streaking her cheeks. "Please, Lucifer..." she gasped. "Even if we never speak again... I need to hear you say it... just once!" she begged. " _Please._ "

"You... you _want_ me to say it?" he asked, bewildered. His head tilted to the side. "You aren't... repulsed to know you'd be letting Him manipulate you?" he asked, his own eyes flooding with tears for the umpteenth time that night. A woeful smile tugged at her lips.

"He can do whatever He wants with me if it means I get to keep you in my life. If His plan means I have you by my side... even if it's only for a little while... than I'm happy to go along with it!"

Lucifer felt her words echo through his body. She was right; what did it matter if their relationship meant his returning to hell? Or heaven? Or any other possible outcome? Even if he denied himself Chloe, he could very possibly still end up exactly where his Father wanted him! And, in the process, he would have denied himself the only pure happiness he'd ever known in his entire existence and probably would ever know. Was the small _, small_ chance of actually messing up his Father's plan _really_ worth sacrificing a life with Chloe? Her love? Her goodness? _Her_?

"I love you!"

The words were out of his mouth before he could second guess himself. He knew they were true; he knew as he spoke them that he'd never regret having been honest with her, no matter how their story ended... if it ever did. As he spoke the words, he felt a weight lift from his chest and his whole being felt lighter suddenly. He looked down at Chloe and she was still crying, but she also had a smile stretching from one ear all the way to the other. He took her face in his hands.

"I love you, too."

"Darling, I love you. I truly do!" he gasped as she was about to lean in for a kiss, but he held her face in place and pulled back from her a few inches. Her eyes went wide, worry and doubt creeping into them, but he had to get one last thing off his chest. "I do love you, Chloe, but..." He sighed and and swallowed hard. "You need to see," he said gently. "You deserve to see the real me before you make any kind of promise or declaration, Chloe. I... I won't trick you into loving me. And I won't let Him trick you... You need to know exactly what I am."

"You're going to show me?" she breathed out and he nodded in silence. "I... I know your face is red, but... are you red... everywhere?" she asked, looking at the open V of his dress shirt. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Does... does it hurt?" she hiccoughed and held her breath as he shook his head. "Oh... okay, then," she sighed. "I just... I don't want you to do it if it hurts you," she said and he looked up into her eyes, wide with concern for him, and he smiled.

"It doesn't hurt, darling. Not anymore. It's sort of like what you humans call scar tissue," he explained. "Looks worse than it feels, I promise." Then, he took a deep breath. "Are you ready? Would you like to... I don't know... put some distance between us first?" She shook her head.

"I know you won't hurt me, Lucifer... no matter what you look like," she whispered and got a tiny nod, watching him intently. His eyes started to slip closed, but she asked him not to, forcing them back open. "I want us to watch each others' reaction. I want you to see that I'm okay with this, Lucifer. Please... don't close your eyes."

" _Okay._ " His voice was barely above a whisper. With one last smile, he let the glamour fade completely. The skin seemed to fade away to reveal the angry red flesh beneath and she saw it peaking through the open collar of his shirt. His face, chest, arms, feet... and she imagined _elsewhere_ as well and winced as she stared at him. "It's okay," he said and she looked up to find he'd closed his eyes.

"No!" she gasped. "Lucifer, please... open your eyes," she asked and he let them open a crack to see a soft smile on her lips. "It's not what you think; I promise," she said and inched a little closer to him. "It's just that... it looks so painful. It's so bad that it pains me to imagine how awful it must have been," she said and hesitantly held out her hand to him. "Only if it won't hurt you!" she added quickly, making to pull it away, but his smile shone through the mangled flesh.

Lucifer held her gaze and took her outstretched hand in his, placing it just inside his shirt over his heart. The heat that emanated from him was intense and she felt warmth spread through her limb, like standing by a fireplace. She looked up at him and smiled and, when he smiled back, she closed the small distance left between them to press her lips every so softly to his for no more than a second.

"I still love you," she whimpered and watched him smile, his human appearance re-materializing to conceal the scarred figure he'd shown her. She sighed, relaxing. "But I have to admit; I much prefer you looking like this!" she said with a grin and he chuckled beneath her hands as she wrapped them around her neck, holding him close as he slid off the couch to kneel right in front of her, her body pressing into his. "I will admit something else," she said and watched as he looked down at her, his face neutral as he listened. She leaned up and put her lips to his ear. "Your fire eyes are a bit of turn on," she whispered.

When she pulled back, the eyes in question were blazing, not only with flames, but with desire, and his grin was positively sinful as he leaned in for another kiss. His fingers cradled the back of her head as his lips worked over hers and she moaned against his mouth. Her hands gripped at the collar of his shirt and left them slide inside, the tips of her fingers dancing over the base of his neck with feather-light touches. He groaned and pulled back from her.

"I love you, Chloe Jane Decker," he whispered and her eyes widened for a moment. Then, she gave him a slap on the shoulder and he flinched, mostly for show. "Ow!" he said and his lower lip pouted as he stared down at her. "What on earth was that for?" he asked and she pulled an exaggerated grimace to her face.

"You made fun of my middle name," she said, pouting like he just had. "I was named for my dad," she said softly and his eyes slipped closed with a groan, his shoulders drooping with understanding. "But you _did_ take the time to learn it... so..." she added and his eyes opened a sliver. "I guess I can forgive you," she teased, letting a finger trail up and down his exposed chest. He shivered.

"I'm sorry, love." he said, pulling her more fully against him. "And you do wear it beautifully," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to the side of her neck. She sagged against him and let out a shaky breath. He lifted his head away and stared into her blue eyes, his hand holding her face and he sighed at the sight of the creature in his arms. "I love you, Chloe," he said softly. "And regardless of Father's plan or whatever Amenadiel or mum come at us with or whatever happens to us... you can always count on my loving you with all my heart." A tear slipped from her cheek and his thumb brushed it away. " _My_ detective," he whispered and she curled into his touch like a cat with a smile of bliss on her lips.

"I like the sound of that," she hummed and wiggled against him, making him groan.

"Would you like me to truly make you mine?" he murmured, returning his lips to her neck and suckling at the flesh, making her moan.

"Hmm... let me think..." she taunted, turning her head to nibble on his earlobe as he kissed her, chuckling at his growl. "Become the Devil's lover? Doesn't really sound like a good idea..." He lifted his head and looked down at her, his eyes sincere and hooded.

"Then be my everything, Chloe," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face. "My partner, my lover... my love, my soul mate... Chloe... be _mine_ ," he said softly and she curled her arms around his neck and grinned up at him.

"Now _that_ sounds like a _good_ plan."

* * *

 **AN: If you liked my story, please review! If you hate that they are on hiatus until MAY, please review. You know what? Just review! Thanks!**


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